The Blazing Trail
by My Vantilene
Summary: Riku and Xion are star-crossed lovers from District 11 picked for the 52nd Hunger Games. But with Peeta and Katniss's deception already brought to public eye in the faux-couple's execution, proclaiming their undying love could only make matters worse.


Disclaimer: Do I even have to say anything at this point?

Xion sat in the bullion-colored train seat as the miles and miles of northern countryside whizzed past. Her hands made very little use of themselves by apprehensively twining and untwining at the fingers, while her cerulean eyes remained trained on the smooth and cohesive flooring that gave a liquid-pearl complexion and consistency. A glossy coating encased the sparkling material ensnared beneath her nervously swinging feat and she tried to stay focused on that instead of the silver-haired passenger sitting in the adjacent seat. A byzantine silence had gripped the two by the throat at the revealing earlier that day and had tried sarcastically to let go, but unsurprisingly never managed to release any of its prisoners. But Xion's haplessness and pacifistic sentiment towards the reigning silence was beginning to seem antiquated, even to her own eschewing eyes. Bored with her passive-aggressive protest to conversation, a prefacing was in order for the real subject they needed to discuss, and what better preamble than the only thing the two were certain of at this point.

"I love you." The raven-haired girl managed, commanding her hands and feet to lie still. She'd work on forcing her eyes to his later when she had the strength.

"I love you, too, Xion." Riku gave a melancholic smile as he ran his fingers over the back of her hand in a soothing manner.

"I don't want you to die." She whimpered in a small voice.

"I don't plan on dying," he enveloped her hand in his, still rubbing the back of her hand with his loose thumb in a circular fashion, "and like hell I'll let you."

She raised her eyebrows at him, but still was stuck in her stupor of glaring at the floor.

"What are you suggesting? You remember what the teachers say about what happened to Katniss and Peeta, they—"

"—tried to overthrow the government under the pseudo façade of drunk-on-love teenagers and managed to start uprisings in the districts even after their public execution. Later President Snow fell victim to an arcane disease, and his successor, President Coin, ended the uprisings by using District Thirteen's weaponry to wipe out districts twelve and six. No one knew of District Thirteen's lingering existence until this act, blah, blah, blah…I took that history class too, you know."

"Then we're both going to die in the arena, and if we try to plea sanctuary on the grounds of our relationship, we're going to be publicly executed as unoriginal traitors. There's no way out of this, Riku."

She closed her eyes with a less-than-peaceful abdication, taking a deep breath and tilting her head back. For a second, she could smell the aromatic days spent running around in the orchid, hiding among the branches as the other counted in a bellowing voice, sharing a first, shy kiss under the very same tree, eating a picnic lunch of whatever rations they were distributed as the sunset unwound as a backdrop to their professing love. She thought of how her sister, Naminé, teased her for finding love at such a young age, Sitting in a Tree quickly becoming their anthem. She thought of their small house on the hill that belonged to her and her only remaining family member. She thought of Riku's abusive father and ruefully that he'd be happy to finally be rid of the boy who reminded him so much of his mother, yet had so many of his faults. She thought of the imminent death awaiting them on their final destination. She thought spitefully of Katniss and Peeta for being so foolish as to fake something as pure as love, and deny them the chance of it.

"There's always a way." He whispered in her ear, "We're going to escape before they can catch us."

_AN:_

_Short, I know, whatever. I got a cool idea for this, but I'm not sure if I'll continue. It all depends on reviews. _


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